Clothes hanger

ABSTRACT

The hanger includes a body portion and hook means connected thereto for supporting the body portion. The body portion includes a neck portion, a pair of arms diverging outwardly therefrom. A first bar is positioned below the neck portion and between the pair of arms. The first bar contains one or more stationary clips on one side. Alternatively, the stationary clips may be positioned on both sides of the first bar. A second bar is positioned between the hook means and the neck portion of the hanger. The second bar contains at least two adjustable clips and a restraining means to prevent the adjustable clips from falling off the ends of the bar. The hook means includes an arcuate upper portion and a connecting portion. Alternatively, the upper portion of the hook means may be circular.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to hangers. More particularly,the invention relates to a hanger that allows a user to assemble andstore a complete outfit in one place.

BACKGROUND

Hangers are great for keeping clothing off the floor, but they canprotect your clothes from damage as well. Different types are used fordifferent purposes. There are three basic types of clothes hangers. Thefirst is the wire hanger, which has a simple loop of wire, most oftensteel, in a flattened triangle shape that continues into a hook at thetop. The second is the wooden hanger, which consists of a flat piece ofwood cut into a boomerang-like shape with the edges sanded down toprevent damage to the clothing, and a hook, usually of metal, protrudingfrom the point. Some wooden hangers have a rounded bar from tip to tip,forming a flattened triangle. This bar is designed to hang the trousersbelonging to the jacket. The third kind and most used in today's worldare also plastic coat hangers, which mostly mimic the shape of either awire or wooden hanger. Plastic coat hangers are also produced in smallersizes to accommodate the shapes of children's clothes.

Hangers may be made in wood, wire, plastic. Some are padded with finematerials, such as satin, for expensive clothes, lingerie and fancydresses. The soft, plush padding is intended to protect garments fromshoulder dents that wire hangers may make.

Some hangers have clips along the bottom for suspending skirts.Dedicated skirt and trousers hangers may not use the triangular shape atall, instead using just a rod with clips. This style can also be usedfor hanging strapless items. Specialized pant hanger racks mayaccommodate many pairs of trousers. Foldable clothes hangers that aredesigned to be inserted through the collar area for ease of use and thereduction of stretching are another variation on traditional clotheshangers.

There are even specially designed hangers for ties, scarves, belts andother accessories. Tie hangers are usually constructed from wood withseveral clips or bars lined up across the lower rung so ties can be hungup easily. Belt hangers are similar in design, with hooks instead ofclips, to help keep belts in place. Scarf hangers are often made fromwood with several holes drilled through the body of the hanger; scarvesare simply slipped through the holes.

The disadvantage of these types of hangers is that they have limitedutility because they only permit certain items of clothing to be hung.Thus, there is a need for hanger that allows a user to assemble andstore a complete outfit, including undergarments and socks.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

It is a goal of the present invention to provide a hanger that iscapable of holding various types of garments.

It is another goal of the present invention to provide a hanger thatpermits a user to assemble and organize a complete outfit, includingundergarments and socks.

It is a further goal of the present invention to provide a hanger thatis easily and cost effectively manufactured and marketed.

It is yet another goal of the present invention to provide a hanger thatis durably and reliably constructed.

It is yet a further goal of the present invention to provide a hangerthat is economical for the buying public.

It is still another goal of the present invention is to provide a hangerthat is convenient and extremely easy to use and transport.

Accordingly, such a hanger is provided. The hanger includes a bodyportion and hook means connected thereto for supporting the bodyportion. The body portion includes a neck portion, a pair of armsdiverging outwardly therefrom. A first bar is positioned between thepair of arms. The first bar contains one or more stationary clips on oneside. Alternatively, the stationary clips may be positioned on bothsides of the first bar. A second bar is positioned between the hookmeans and the neck portion of the hanger. The second bar contains atleast two adjustable clips and a restraining means to prevent theadjustable clips from falling off the ends of the bar. The hook meansincludes an arcuate upper portion and a connecting portion.Alternatively, the upper portion of the hook means may be circular.

The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and,in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparentto one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings,specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that thelanguage used in the specification has been principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes, and not to limit the scope ofthe inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and features and advantages,other than those set forth above, will become apparent whenconsideration is given to the following detailed description thereof.Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the hanger of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the hanger of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the hanger of the present invention. Theright side view is a mirror image thereof.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the hanger of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to the drawings in general, and to FIGS. 1 to 4 in particular,shown therein and designated by the general reference numeral 10 is ahanger constructed in accordance with the present invention.

The hanger 10 includes a body portion 20 and hook means 80 connectedthereto for supporting the body portion. The body portion 20 and hookmeans 80 may be made of a variety of materials including, but notlimited to, plastic, metal, wood and/or combinations of these materials.

The hook means 80 extends upwardly from the body portion 20. The hookmeans 80 includes an arcuate upper portion 82 and a connecting portion84. Alternatively, the upper portion of the hook means 80 may becircular. In one embodiment, the hook means 80 is pivotally connected tothe body portion 20. In another embodiment, the hook means 80 isintegrated with the body portion 20. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,the hook means 80 is made of metal. In a different embodiment, the hookmeans 80 may be made of plastic. Alternatively, a collar (not shown) maybe placed around the connecting portion 84. The collar may be used toprovide information, such as days of the week, to help the user organizetheir outfits

The body portion 20 includes a neck portion 30 and a pair of arms 40diverging outwardly and downwardly therefrom in a generally straightconfiguration. It is to be noted that the arms 40 may be of any size,configuration, or cross sectional shape. In one embodiment, the arms 40may have a textured, slip-resistant finish to prevent garments fromslipping off. In another embodiment, the arms 40 may be padded toprotect delicate garments. In a different embodiment, the each of thearms 40 may contain a notch for hanging straps.

A first bar 50 is positioned below the neck portion 30 and between thepair of arms 40. One side of the first bar 50 contains one or morestationary clips 60. Alternatively, the stationary clips 60 may bepositioned on both sides of the first bar 50. The stationary clips 60may be a spring clip that is made of plastic or coated metal, or aclothes pin that is made of plastic or wood. As seen in FIG. 4, thestationary clip 60 basically comprises a pair of jaws 62, a pair offinger grips 64, and a hinge 66 for connecting the jaws 62 to oneanother. The stationary clip 60 is opened by grasping the finger grips64 and squeezing them toward each other. Upon release of the fingergrips 64, the jaws 62 pivot on hinge 66 to effect the holding of agarment tightly between the jaws 62.

A second bar 70 is positioned between the hook means 80 and the neckportion 30 of the hanger. In one embodiment, the second bar 70 isintegrally formed with neck portion 30. In another embodiment, thesecond bar 70 is positioned behind neck portion 30. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1-4, the second bar 70 is a cylindrical rod. In anotherembodiment, the second bar 70 may be flat. It is to be noted that thesecond bar 70 may be of any size, configuration, or cross sectionalshape.

The second bar 70 contains at least two adjustable clips 90 and arestraining means 75 to prevent the adjustable clips 90 from falling offthe ends of the second bar 70. In one embodiment, the restraining means75 may be integrated with the second bar 70. In another embodiment, therestraining means 75 may be removable. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.1-4, the restraining means 75 is spherical in shape. Alternatively, therestraining means 75 may be any geometrical shape, such as cubical orpyramidal.

Referring to FIG. 3, the adjustable clip 90 basically comprises a pairof jaws 92, a pair of finger grips 94, and resilient bias means 96 forconnecting the jaws to one another. The jaws 92 and finger grips 94 areformed of a plastic material which is low in cost, lightweight, durableand resilient. The bias means 96 is also formed of a plastic materialthat exhibits a higher tensile strength and resiliency than the materialforming the jaws 92. In one embodiment of the adjustable clip 90, thejaws 92, finger grips 94 and bias means 96 are formed of plastic. Inanother embodiment, the jaws 92, finger grips 94 and bias means 96 aremade of metal.

The jaws 92 and finger grips 94 are arranged to be disposed side-by-sidewith the second bar 70, forming a fulcrum between them, and with thebias means 96 encircling a portion of the second bar 70 to hold theadjustable clip together. The adjustable clip is opened by grasping thefinger grips 94 and squeezing them toward each other. Upon release ofthe finger grips 94, the jaws 92 pivot back together to effect theholding of a garment tightly between the jaws 92.

In one embodiment, the hanger 10 allows the user to secure a pair ofpants or a skirt to the second bar 70 via the adjustable clips 90 and toplace a coat or shirt over the pair of arms 40 and to secureaccessories, i.e.: socks, underwear, to the stationary clips 60. Thisallows the user to easily and conveniently remove these items from thestationary clips 60.

With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that theoptimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, toinclude variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and mannerof operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obviousto one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present invention.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthis disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the invention belimited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto.

1. A hanger comprising: a body portion, the body portion comprising aneck portion and a pair of arms; a hook means, the hook means extendingupwardly from the body portion; a first bar, the first bar beingpositioned between the pair of arms and below the neck portion; and asecond bar, the second bar being positioned between the hook means andthe neck portion.
 2. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the hook meansfurther comprises an arcuate upper portion and a connecting portion. 3.The hanger of claim 1 wherein the hook means is pivotally connected tothe body portion.
 4. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the hook means isintegrated with the body portion.
 5. The hanger of claim 1 wherein thepair of arms diverge outwardly and downwardly from the neck portion. 6.The hanger of claim 1 wherein the pair of arms have a textured,slip-resistant finish.
 7. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the pair of armsis padded.
 8. The hanger of claim 1 wherein each of the pair of armscontains a notch therein.
 9. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the first barfurther comprises one or more stationary clips being attached thereto.10. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the second bar is positioned behindthe neck portion.
 11. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the second bar isintegrally formed with the neck portion.
 12. The hanger of claim 1wherein the second bar further comprises at least two adjustable clips.13. The hanger of claim 1 wherein the second bar further comprises arestraining means positioned at a first end and a second end of thesecond bar.
 14. The hanger of claim 13 wherein the restraining means isintegrated with the second bar.
 15. The hanger of claim 13 wherein therestraining means is detachable from the second bar.
 16. A hangercomprising: a body portion, the body portion comprising a neck portionand a pair of arms; a hook means, the hook means extending upwardly fromthe body portion; a first bar, the first bar being positioned betweenthe pair of arms and below the neck portion, the first bar having one ormore stationary clips attached thereto; and a second bar, the second barbeing positioned between the hook means and the neck portion, andwherein the second bar further comprises at least two adjustable clipsand a restraining means positioned at a first end and a second end ofthe second bar.
 17. The hanger of claim 16 wherein the hook meansfurther comprises an arcuate upper portion and a connecting portion. 18.A hanger comprising: a body portion, the body portion comprising a neckportion and a pair of arms; a hook means, the hook means extendingupwardly from the body portion, and wherein the hook means is pivotallyconnected to the body portion; a first bar, the first bar beingpositioned between the pair of arms and below the neck portion, thefirst bar having one or more stationary clips attached thereto; and asecond bar, the second bar being positioned between the hook means andthe neck portion, wherein the second bar is integrally formed with theneck portion, and wherein the second bar further comprises at least twoadjustable clips and a restraining means positioned at a first end and asecond end of the second bar.
 19. The hanger of claim 18 wherein thehook means further comprises an arcuate upper portion and a connectingportion.
 20. The hanger of claim 18 wherein the restraining means isintegrated with the second bar.